Johann Kepler : en quête du sens

Johann Kepler: in search of meaning.
Jean-Marie VIGOUREUX

At the crossroads between the metaphysical representation of the world in the Middle Ages and its scientific description, Johann Kepler is undoubtedly one of the most endearing characters in the history of science.
The suffering of his childhood made it essential for him to find meaning in all the events that disrupted his life. At 13, he decided to set off on his own in search of the harmony of the world. Little does he know that the truth he seeks will never appear to him in the form he imagines. From hesitation to error and from error to discovery, he went on to discover the first physical laws of the heavens. Despite his immense disappointment at finding elliptical orbits where circular trajectories would have been infinitely more beautiful, he nevertheless accepted them, apologizing for introducing "a load of manure into the world's system", and set off in pursuit of the unknown.
These are perhaps the most essential qualities of the first "astronomical physicist" and the founder of optics: a constant appreciation of failure and a rigorous acceptance of experimental facts, despite his own tastes and expectations.

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